


glory

by nexzare



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Arts, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Honestly I just wanted a princess sonia with bodyguard tanaka fic, Kingdoms, Kings & Queens, Knights - Freeform, Magic, Servants, Violence, War, but now i made it into some elaborate thing, definitely not modern times, i honestly dont know if i will make this a happy ending or not, i love tragedy, kind of medieval kind of not, probably going to change the rating later, pulling shit out of my ass for this damn fic, slow burn??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 11:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16618487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nexzare/pseuds/nexzare
Summary: tensions are rising between the novoselic kingdom and the hope kingdom. to ensure the safety of his eldest daughter, and heir, the novoselic king increased security. against the princess's wishes, he positioned a personal guard to watch her at all times.war is brimming and no one will be ready for the despair that will come.but keep hope, and sail on to your future.





	glory

**Author's Note:**

> i had an idea. i decided to execute said idea. and this is what i managed to pull out my damn ass. i haven written anything for a long time but i played danganronpa 2 for the first time last week and finished it and came off shipping gundham and sonia. i wanted to write something about her being a princess as she is the ultimate princess and him being her bodyguard. i also had this whole idea that kingdoms had to fight whatever kingdom junko is from cuz she's crazy and trying to become the ULTIMATE RULER LOL and cause mass despair and ruin go figure. 
> 
> this fic is going to be action packed, romantic, political and tropey. i would greatly appreciate any comments and suggestions!!! also if you see any mistakes that i have not found, do tell!! i will fix them immediately. also i am very bad at having motivation and can get very lazy. just a warning. anyway, i hope you enjoy the first chapter of glory. 
> 
> i listened to glory by dermot kennedy for inspiration of writing this.

 “princess nevermind.”

the girl in question looked up from the novel that she was digesting. she had a slight tilt to her head, a small graceful smile on her lips as she took in one of her ladies-in-waiting.

“the king and queen require your presence in the great hall, princess.”

“i have told you many times, gracie, you may call me sonia.”

sonia was the most beautiful girl to have blessed the novoselic kingdom in a long while. although the women were usually pretty, the princess was naturally enchanting. there was no need with trying, she just was - and appreciated the worlds gift bestowed to her. sonia nevermind had delicately pale skin, and green eyes that had a glint of curiosity in them. her hair was incredibly long and soft blonde. her help made sure to keep it in a high ponytail, to keep it from dragging on the floor.

“miss s-sonia, the king and queen require your presence.” gracie repeated, a small blush staining her cheeks. sonia liked the way it made the young girl look.

“how curious.” sonia smiled, and clapped her book close. a little squeak came out of the girl, and sonia did her best to hold in a giggle. “did they ever say what it was about?”

“no, they only asked me to fetch you.”

“hmm.” the princess tapped her cheek, wondering what it was that her parents needed her for. it was quite unusual that her presence would be required. the king and queen normally let sonia do as she pleased for most of her time. as long as she studied and did her duties, they didn’t mind much on what she did with the rest of her day. they frequently left her alone to her own devices, and sonia couldn’t help but feel that it was because she wasn’t good in court.

the girl did a curtsy as the princess passed her and made her way to the great hall. she walked the familiar hallways, a hand on one wall as she took her time on her walk. it was a little petty, perhaps, that she wanted to keep her parents waiting for a little bit longer. cause them to become a little restless and annoyed with her, as sonia was with them over half the time.

when she finally arrived, the two guardsmen pushed open the elaborate and gigantic doors to the great hall. her mother was bickering with a servant, probably about her. her father was tapping his armrest, an obvious sign of his frustration and annoyance.

“speak of the devil.” her mother muttered, shooing the servant. “it only took,” the queen looked out one of the windows that the sun was shining through. “about half the day to summon you.” her eyes fell back onto the princess, a cold and humorless stare.

sonia didn’t glance at her mother as she made her way towards their thrones. standing there, with her hands held in front of her she told them, “i was reading in my library.”

“reading.” the king huffed. “your library, don’t make me laugh.” he shook his head, taking in a deep breath. “do you have any idea what is happening to our kingdom right now, your kingdom? to our precious novoselic?”

“well, father, as you just stated it seems nothing is really mine at all.” sonia tilted her head, and gave a small smile. her face was always sweet and angelic, it made her father softer. the queen? not so much.

“will you ever quit being so insolent?” the queen hissed, clearly enraged. “we could be going to war at any time and you sit in the grand library window sills, reading tales that fill your head with all kinds of silly nonsense. do straighten up, _dear_ ,” the word was clearly not meant in any endearing way. “it’s unbecoming of a princess to slouch so.”

sonia was quite certain she wasn’t slouched as her mother said, but straightened up as much as she could muster, anyway. it was best not to test the queen’s patience, now.

it almost baffled the princess how she could have came from the two people in front of her. she was conscious of always being polite, thoughtful, and compassionate. the royal majesties, on the other hand, weren’t always. they were skilled in the areas of manners and politeness, but lacked in the thoughtful and compassionate side. especially, her mother.

“tensions are rising with the hope kingdom.” the king spoke, before either of the women in the room could add another petty word in. “it seems we are drawing closer and closer with a full on war with them. they simply will not let us be. we have tried peace negotiations, but alas, they do reject and scoff at what we offer.”

“certainly is ironic, hope kingdom. all they do is bring despair to whoever they decide to declare war on.” the queen grumbled. “that poor boy, prince naegi, was it? i heard he was to marry the princess of despair.”

“quiet, my lady.” her father gave her a warning look, and she fell silent. “it would be grave if they declared war on novoselic. our military is grand, but that kingdom.” he held his chin, turning to look out the massive windows in the great hall. “that kingdom knows no decency. no chivalry. no class. they fight as if they are demons, monsters. i do not know how our military could fight without also selling their soul to despair. which brings me to why-”

“what about prince komaeda?” sonia cut in before her father could finish what he was going to tell her. “excuse me,” she gave a low nod, apologizing for cutting him off. “i did not think that prince komaeda had the same ideas and beliefs as the princess, does he have no claim to the throne at all?” it was almost as if she had said a joke, because her mother sure let out a snicker. “can he not challenge lady junko in any way? i can not see him standing by and allowing all this… _despair_ to run rampant!”

“you think that fool can do anything?” her mother let out another chuckle. “he is but a half sibling. princess junko is the king’s first born.”

“they don’t follow the same traditions we do, _mother_ ,” sonia gave a polite smile, finally turning her eyes onto her mother. “i read that the first born son ascends the throne. she may be the first born, but komaeda is the first born son to the king and therefore should be the one to ascend the throne.”

“if only,” the older woman sighed. “he took the name of his late mother instead of the king’s. the king has certainly shown his distaste for the boy.” she narrowed her eyes at her daughter and leaned forward. “you do not pay attention to anything that happens in court, do you? are you a princess or a fool just as prince komaeda? they are looking into changing that tradition and doing what us, novoselians have always done.”

sonia’s surprise and disbelief was apparent on her face.

“close your mouth, and your face is like an open book.” her father told her, but not in a harsh tone. “yes, they are looking into changing their law of the first born son being the heir. the king wants princess junko to ascend the throne and continue to cause despair on this whole world it seems.”

“it wouldn’t be such a loss if that kingdom was burned to ashes.”

“ursula.” the king spat, turning his attention on his queen. “do not utter such words around here. we never know who could be listening. those are essentially a proclamation of war, you doltish woman.” the queen gave him a furious look at his insult, but went back to remaining silent.

as much as sonia had attended the meetings, and listened to the summaries of negotiations and overheard servant talk - she did not ever recall hearing this news. prince komaeda might not be the king, and a worry began to blossom in her chest. a worry for her beautiful and dear kingdom, novoselic.

“what i wanted to bring you here for, daughter of mine, is i have decided to increase security measures for the castle.” he stated. his fingers went back to tapping his armrest, and sonia did not find what he was doing it for to be obvious, anymore. “i have had more guards placed around our home and in the streets of novoselic.” she did notice that it was taking him a little bit longer to get to his point then usual. she must not like what he was going to say, as he would not dilly dally like this if otherwise. “i have arranged for your mother and your sister to have their own personal guard. ones that are skilled with defending and observing.”

sonia could see the annoyance clear as day on her mother’s face. as much as they reprimanded her for keeping her emotions on her sleeve, they did not do well with hiding their own. although, if her mother was ever happy or sad, sonia had never seen.

“i have also made up my mind that you shall have a personal guard as well.” he finally came to his conclusion.

the princess blinked up at the older man a few times. she was processing this in her own mind. she would be receiving her own personal guard, on top of the guards that already were positioned outside any place she dared to go.

“this guard will follow you wherever you shall go. their eyes will never leave your vicinity. they shall accompany you to meetings, loitering, sleeping, and anything else.” he said it so casually, which is what annoyed sonia. this guard would be intruding into her life, in her personal life, and for what? to keep the king at peace? sonia did not care for his peace of mind, he surely did not care for hers.

“father, i am heavily trained in the military arts-”

“i know.” he interjected. he clapped his hands together, staring his daughter down.

“will they follow me into my lavatory as well? shall i invite them into my bath in case of a serial killer hiding in the depths of the barrel?” she held her hands tighter, plastering on the best smile she could muster. her father narrowed her eyes at her, his lips turning into a thin line. “i can defend myself-”

“my word is final.” his voice boomed through the great hall, and sonia tried not to flinch at it. “you will have a personal guard and you will not be cheeky about it, anymore. do you understand?” sonia took a deep breath before she nodded her head. “do not nod, girl, speak.”

“yes, father, i understand.” she spoke, smile on her face and that charming tilt to her head.

her father loosened a little, and relaxed in his seat. he gave a small smile to her. “thank you, my dear. i do not wish to bicker with you on these small matters.”

these were no small matters to the princess, but she could only stand there and listen. what the king said was final, there was no more to fight on about it. she let out a sigh, turning to look out the windows of the great hall. how she wished she could go roam the gardens instead of standing here and heeding this audience.

“i fear the hope kingdom have infiltrated us already. i have an idea that they roam these very halls, and i worry for my heir, especially.” the king admitted, although grumpily. “i do not know what they will try, at any given moment. when i tell you that tensions have risen with them, they have drastically.”

“they aim to kill me?” sonia questioned, continuing her gaze out the window. “i will not die so easily, should they try.” they could try, of course, but they would not get far. sonia was very skilled in the military arts as she tried to tell her father. she had been taught since she was a child in ways of war. she could figure out how to even kill the king, sitting on his own throne, in his own castle and flee before the guards caught her. that was a thought for herself, though, and herself only.

“no, especially with the help that i have acquired.” the king waved at the guards at the end of the great hall. “bring in master tanaka.” he demanded at once.

as soon as the doors were opened, a man was ushered in. sonia turned to look at him and see who it was that would be trampling into her personal life for who knows how long.

the man walked into the great hall, but only half way. he would not stand in front of the king and queen, and he definitely would not stand beside the princess. it was out of respect for the nobles, not that he cared so much about them and their silly ways of law and life.

he was taller then the princess, only by a few inches it seemed. height was the first thing she noticed, and smiled, knowing that she may be potentially able to take him down. as she looked him over some more, she began to notice other things. she thought he may be older than her, his face was scarred and harsh. he was quite pale as well. he stood out like a sore thumb in this elegant great hall. his head was all shaved, save the top of it that was pushed back. his hair color was black with grey streaks in them, which also added to sonia’s thought he must be older than her. he wore the casual clothes of someone from the military, with a sword belt around his waist. he kept his left sleeve rolled up, uncovering bandages that wound around his arm.

he was odd, and sonia’s interest was piqued.

“daughter, this is master gundham tanaka. he was gifted to us from our ally and neighbour yakuza kingdom. he is skilled in swordsmanship and much more.” the king trailed off, and stayed silent for a few seconds. “i have forgotten my thoughts.”

“allow me,” master tanaka gave a respectful bow before he took over the conversation. “i am gifted in more than just swordsmanship. i have been trained since i was a child to take on the role of assassin, but my superiors have deemed it necessary that i be a personal guard for awhile. believe me, my lord and lady, i am better than your average knight. they do not come close to the powers that i hold.” a smirk appeared on the man’s face.

“yes, well,” the queen narrowed her eyes at him. “you belong to us now, so you will do as we command you to. your kingdom has graciously turned you over to us with their alliance negotiations. so, you will do what we demand of you.”

“of course.” he nodded his head, the smirk quickly turning into a frown.

this whole time he had not spared a glance for the princess. all she could do was stare upon him and he did not give her the time of day. perhaps it was because he was in front of the king and queen. she had a feeling, though, he would not be so forthcoming with her.

“you know your duties.” the king finally asserted, waving his hand to dismiss them. “back to what you were doing.” he spoke, more to his daughter then the man.

sonia curtsied to the two royals before she made her way of out the great hall and into the corridor. the man allowed her to past first, before he followed her out. from here on out, this man was going to follow her everywhere.

she did not speak to him until she made her way to the gardens. the place that she really wanted to be. her hands ran over the beautiful flowers there, and she had a real smile on her lips as she rushed to the small pond in the middle of the gardens. she crouched down to stick her hand into the water. it was cold, as it always was. she loved watching the small fish and ducks swim in it during the summer.

“this is my favorite place on my family’s properties.” sonia’s voice was soft, and she pulled her hand out of the water to watch the ducks on the other side of the pond. “it is always peaceful and i was allowed to be alone when i came here. i do not mean to be rude, but it saddens me a little to know i can not enjoy this quiet and serene place by my lonesome.”

gundham tanaka watched the princess carefully, finally allowing himself to keep his eyes on her. he hadn’t dared taken his attention away from the king and queen in the great hall out of respect for them, but now he could observe the princess closely.

“it is my job to stay near you and keep an eye on you, princess.” he stood behind her, and watched as she tried to get the attention of the ducks. if she had some corn or oats or seeds, she could surely bribe them to come closer to her. “but, i don’t wish to be a burden.”

“oh, please, do not think that i would consider you a burden in any way! as you have said, it is your job. i can not blame you for doing your duty.” she turned to look at him, clutching her dress where her heart would be. “please, do not think that.”

although having someone around to watch her every skip and step could be a nuisance, she did not want this man to think that he was in any way a burden of any kind. he had a job to do, and she understand and respected that.

gundham held her gaze for a few beats of his heart, but slowly turned his eyes back on the ducks. changing the subject for awhile, he said, “we never did get formally introduced. the king spoke my name, but we have not exchanged formalities. i don’t even know your name, princess.”

“sonia.” she told him, still staring at his scarred and rough face. she could make out his eyes now, and one seemed different then the other. his left eye was a bluish grey, like the sky when it was about to rain. his right eye, though, held more color to it. she could swear that it almost glowed red. he was an odd man, she thought, but he did not seem inherently bad. “i am sonia nevermind, daughter of dedalus and ursula nevermind, princess to the novoselic kingdom.”

gundham did a low bow, holding the position for a few seconds before standing up straight. “i am gundham tanaka, born and raised in yakuza kingdom.”

sonia didn’t know much about the yakuza kingdom, only that once upon a time the king had been murdered in a rebellion in the kingdom. the kuzuryu family had seized control and ascended the throne after the rebellion succeeded. she couldn’t remember what they were rebelling for. she did know that the yakuza kingdom had always been running amok with crime and violence.

she thought he would have stopped his formalities there, but he continued on. “i am a master in swordsmanship, unarmed combat, observance, and military weapons. i can speak many different languages and incredibly skilled at improvising. i can sneak my way into any place i want, and get out as quick as i arrived.” she could tell that he was bragging about his power and abilities, but she didn’t mind all that much. it was admirable that he had dedicated so much of his life to become a master in these areas. she had learned about combat and war since a child as well, but she was nowhere near master level.

“none of that compares to,” he knelt down beside her and held out his hand over the pond. the ducks seemed to respond immediately to him. “my mastery of animals. i take great pride in being able to interact with them and to have such instant reactions. i truly am a remarkable man.”

if any other man than him, sonia would have turned her nose at his words. instead of arrogance and cockiness, all she heard in his voice was sincerity and a hint of softness. she thought that maybe he was trying to make himself believe his own words.

the ducks swam to him and quacked. gundham kept his hand reached out and one of them rubbed up against it. sonia eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together as a big grin fell onto her lips.

“that is amazing!” she exclaimed. gundham pulled his scarf to cover half his face, and looked away from the princess. “i have never been able to get them to give me any… day of time?” she furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember the saying she had heard. “time of the day!”

they both went silent after that. gundham let his hand fall back to his side and stood up. the ducks swam quicker than usual back to the other side of the pond and away from sonia. the reality of the situation coming back to the forefront of their minds.

“i don’t wish for you to be in my bed chambers.” she rushed out, slowly standing up and brushing off her dress. she felt her face heat up when she said this. “i don’t feel comfortable with you in my private rooms while i am sleeping. i don’t trust you, yet.” sonia brought her gaze to meet his and he simply nodded.

“again, i do not wish to burden you, my lady.” he kept his head bowed, eyes staring to the ground. “i will allow you to be alone in your private rooms and to have your peaceful walks in your garden, alone.” gundham offered her this solace, and she gladly took it. he was rewarded with the softest smile he had ever seen.

the princess decided she would head back to the library to read for the rest of the evening, so they made their way out of the gardens.

before they completely left, though, gundham came to a halt. he turned to look back at the garden and the ducks. sonia stopped, as well, eyes on the man. 

“the next time you return here, princess, bring oats or seeds. the ducks will surely pay as much attention to you as you wish.”

chapter end


End file.
